Just A Kiss
by Lily-Beth.Bluebell
Summary: After crashing her car deep in the woods, Sarah fears that something is chasing her. Who else would come to her rescue than her old adversary? He shares many things with her: his warmth, his healing, and a small favour in exchange for something beautiful.


**Just a one-shot I did after several weeks spent reading several different fanfictions and Pika-la-cynique's **_**Girls Next Door **_**on DeviantART. Entails fear, fail, rather disturbing actions on Jareth's part (although, it's only disturbing if it's not Jareth), and all the usual stuff included in the typical Jareth/Sarah stories. :D Rated T for a mild cuss word, suggestive themes and Jareth being Jareth.**

Sarah screamed.

In frustration.

At herself and at that stupid car.

"Make sure you fill up on gas," Karen had said.

"I'll be fine; there's plently to get me there and back," she had replied.

Well, she was paying dearly for _that_ mistake, wasn't she? She slammed her hands against the wheel angrily and glanced out of the windshield. The headlights had completely turned off now, the engine was no longer running. And the temperature was beginning to drop significantly. Her surroundings were completely black, though she knew that she was in amongst trees. For running out of gas was not the only bad thing to have befallen her tonight.

Not ten minutes ago, she had been driving happily along a dark country road, singing loudly - and terribly - to the bad, late-night radio, rounding the twists and turns of the road. A deer - a fawn, in fact - had leapt out in front of her car. Staring into it's beautiful brown eyes and through its long lashes and realizing that she was about to kill something so young, she had swerved wildly to the right, straight into the woods.

The car had flipped and turned and rolled in every direction possible (and some she thought were not), before coming to an abrupt halt against a tree. She had been completely disoriented, though quite uninjured. Her hair was tangled and her chest hurt with the restriction of the seatbelt which had undoubtedly saved her life.

Now, she was breathing heavily and shaking pieces of glass from her hair. She reached out to her left and met something rough. Tree bark. So, her window was smashed and the left side of her car was pressed against a tree.

Sarah unclipped the seatbelt and bent herself at the waist, reaching to the floor. Her fingers curled around the handle of the flashlight and she flicked it on. It was dim, but it was better than nothing in the solid blackness of the night. She straightened up and shone it out of the passenger window. Trees. A lot of them. On a steep slope. It was no wonder she had tumbled so much.

Sighing, she reached for the passenger door to open it.

"What?" she demanded aloud when it did not budge. "Oh, great."

She shifted her body so that she was lying across the seats on her back, the gearstick jamming painfully into her back. She ignored it, kicking the door wildly with her feet. It still did not open. She huffed.

"This isn't fair!" she complained, repeating the phrase she had been so fond of seven years ago.

She sat up and moved herself into the passenger seat. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, before jabbing her elbow towards the window as she had seen people do in action movies.

Those people in action movies were actors, however, and she was a real human being. The glass remained intact, and a sharp pain shot from her elbow to her shoulder, and she cried out. She swore loudly.

She had to think. She could not stay in this car, so far from the road: no one would ever find her. She had no means of communicating with anyone for help, and no way of getting herself out of the car. Biting her lip, she tossed the flashlight at the window, only to have it bounce back at her. She tried again, this time, using it as a kind of hammer. Eventually, the glass cracked all over, and a slight tap with her foot made the whole thing shatter.

The only downfall to now being free of her prison, was that the flashlight had broken. When she managed to pull herself out of the window, cutting her finger on some glass, she landed hard on her back on the leafy forest floor. The moonlight, which seemed to have difficulty breaking its way through the trees, made the roof of the car shine a little.

Okay, so she had a faint glimmer of light which was as useless as jam to a drowning rabbit. Or milk to a deer caught in the headlights.

"Damn adorable deer," she shivered, tucking her hands under her arms.

Sarah was certain that if she was able to see, she would see her breath thick in the air, drifting upwards and diffusing in the sky. She huffed again. She certainly could not stay here all night. She would freeze to death within hours. There was nothing for it. She was going to have to walk and hope she found a road.

She took three steps forwards and felt her nose collide painfully with a tree. She growled in anger, then giggled at herself. Right, she was going to have to allow her hands to brave the biting cold so that she did not crash into anything else. She threw her arms out, spreading her fingers, feeling for something.

This time, she got considerably farther, though she could not tell how far, or how long she'd been walking for. Her fingers were numb, her ears and nose were freezing to the point where they hurt. Her toes even felt frostbitten. This was just her luck. Probably karma for laughing at her friend who had recently totaled her own car.

She stopped suddenly as something close to her cracked. Leaves rustled and she heard something she couldn't distinguish. It sounded almost as if someone was moving.

"Hello?" she called uncertainly.

The cracking and ruslting continued, getting louder. Something was moving towards her. That was not normal. No animals should be approaching her, and people should not be able to see in the dark.

Her stomach seemed to jump into chest, shoving her heart into her throat. She swallowed fear, bitter in her mouth and stumbled backwards a little. Her heart rate increased dramatically as an owl hooted ominously somewhere. She was shaking, but not from the cold any longer. There was something here in the impenetrable darkness with her.

She purposefully took several steps back before turning suddenly and running. Her gait was slow until she heard the rustling and cracking following her. She accelerated to a full out sprint, surprised, despite her terror, that she had not yet crashed into anything.

She tripped over something, but managed to stay on her feet. Her lungs were burning with the strain of breathing so hard and the freezing air, her legs hurt. Adrenaline was making her immune to the cold. The thing chasing her was closing in fast. She opened her mouth, filling her lungs to the maximum, and let out a scream.

In her scream, she called for help, she expressed her fear. In her scream, she begged for it to stop.

And it did.

Her running was cut short as she crashed into someone. She felt herself fly backwards, only to be caught by her upper arms and steadied with warm hands. Whoever had caught her held her in an iron grip that was almost painful. She tried to pull away, struggling.

"Who's there?" she shrieked. "Let me go!"

Light suddenly blinded her, and she squeezed her eyes shut against its merciless rays. After a few seconds, she opened them again slowly, letting her eyes adjust. She was not sure whether to scream again or feel relieved. After all, it had been seven whole years since she had seen the Goblin King face to face.

He was still taller than her by at least a head. His hair was still disheveled and blonde, like a lion's mane. His eyes were still a disturbing mismatch of sky blue and moss green. His face was smug. His clothes were extravagant. He seemed to be wearing the midnight blue clothes - with the exception of the armoured breast plate - that he had adorned when they'd first met. His cloak was billowing in a breeze that did not exist.

The source of light was crystals floating in the air.

"You," she said, breathless and disbelieving, frozen in his grasp. "What are you doing here? Let go of me."

Was he here for Toby? For her? That was unfair. She had defeated his labyrinth, he was supposed to leave her alone.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Sarah," he smiled. "I am here because you are clearly in need of assistance."

She glanced back, twisting in his hold. Her eyes scanned the blackness.

"There was something chasing me," she said slowly. "Was that you?"

"Not I," he said seriously, before smirking again. "I believe you let your imagination run away with you. After all, forests can be scary places at night. Did you know that there is a pack of wild wolves not two miles from the spot where you crashed your car?"

"What?" she cried, suddenly moving closer to him.

He laughed at her, and the sound made her shudder. She looked up into his cruel eyes, pleading with her own.

"Let me go," she requested. He said nothing, merely smirked. She shivered violently, and muttered under her breath, "I'm so cold..."

Jareth's grip loosened from vice-like to relatively gentle, and he moved his hands up and down her arms slowly. At first, she was unsure, but then she noticed that her shivering was stopping. His hands were sending small waves of warmth through her. It was comforting, but she did not want to lose herself in it, just in case he decided to perform his old fae tricks on her again.

She tried to pull away again, but his fingers tightened. Once he had ceased rubbing heat into her frozen arms, she began shivering again. She managed to tense despite this, fearing him in that moment.

"Please let go of me," she begged quietly.

"If you say so," he sighed, releasing her.

She automatically took a step away from him and his smirk widened. Sarah had not even realized how warm she had been simply standing close to him. Her shivering became more wild, if it was even possible. His eyes travelled from hers, going down her entire body - which was clothed in jeans, shoes and a long-sleeved top as she had left her coat at home. His eyes rested too long on her hips and chest for her liking.

He licked his lips.

"My, my, you've certainly grown, haven't you, precious?"

She took another step away from him, interpreting the hungry look in his eyes all-too clearly.

"Don't touch me," she ordered.

"The thought never even crossed my mind," he grinned, lying smoothly. As he began to move towards her, smiling almost cruelly, she backed away, her eyes on his sharp canine teeth. "Yet, one can hardly fail to notice how much of a woman you've become. Your curves are quite beautiful, Sarah."

Her back made contact with something cold and metallic as a blush crept into her cheeks. Her car. Had she walked in a circle? He closed the space between them quickly, leaning close to her. His hands came down at either side of her, trapping her. Heat from his chest came off him in waves, and his hot breath blew gently over her face. She smelled something sweet but she could not name it.

Sarah defiantly glared up at him, sticking out her chin. He only smirked at that too, and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. It was then that she again noticed her shivering was getting quite uncontrollable.

"If you're so cold, precious, I can think of several ways to help warm you up," he trailed off suggestively.

"When did you become such a pervert?" she demanded bravely.

"Perverted? Me? Hardly," he laughed. "Sarah, dearest, I've always been the way I am now. Perhaps you were just too young to see it."

He was so close that she could feel his body heat pressing onto her in waves. She was almost tempted to move closer to him. It soon became a reality as somewhere, a wolf howled. She leapt closer to him in fright, grabbing his shirt tightly.

He chuckled again and she immediately released him, embarrassed. She tried to move away, but was prevented from doing so by the car.

"Whatever happened to the heroic and courageous Sarah I knew seven years ago?" he mocked.

"She's still around," Sarah reassured him dryly. "She just doesn't happen to like being alone with the man who kidnapped her baby brother. Nor does she like being lost in a dark forest with an angry pack of wolves close by."

"You're scared of the wolves?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Duh," she snapped. "They all want to eat me."

"I am quite sure that you could handle them accordingly."

"I don't really want to find out," she said meekly, ignoring the obscure compliment.

"And what about me, Sarah? Are you afraid of me?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.

She found that she could not answer him. Although she did not want to be, she _was _afriad of him, especially here and now. She was completely alone and unprotected here, there were no special deals to be struck for freedom. And she was so cold and numb that she was considerably weaker than he was. He definitely had the upper hand, and she did not like it one bit.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and slid it down slowly to her hand. He gently lifted it and she let him: electrical currents seemed to be trailing down her arm where the Goblin King's touch had been. It was rendering her quite powerless. Another reason to be afraid of and not trust him.

He assessed her hand carefully for a few moments, and she felt a trickle of blood run down her arm.

"What happened here?" he enquired. "You're bleeding quite heavily."

"I cut it on the glass when I got out of the car," she muttered dismissively. "I hardly noticed."

"Hmm," he mused. "Your hands are freezing, Sarah. Can you even feel it?"

"No," she admitted after a short period of silence.

He took her other hand and lifted them both up to his face. He breathed gently on them, and his breath scorched her skin. It was strangely pleasant compared to the bitter cold, and for some reason, she was afraid once again. Though she could not tell why. Was she afraid of Jareth and that was why she found herself unable to move? Or was she scared _because _she was unable to move?

Either way, she doubted he would have let her.

A wave of panic passed through her as his tongue slid out of his mouth and flicked towards her fingers.

"What are you doing?" she asked fearfully.

He did not answer her. She gasped when the tip of his tongue slid across her cut. It did not hurt. On the contrary, it sent tingles down her hand and around her midriff. She blushed. His eyes were now closed; his tongue flicked and slid repeatedly over the cut. Sarah did not see a purpose to this until she noticed that it was no longer bleeding. Then, the long red line seemed to be shrinking. Within seconds, it was gone completely.

Jareth released her hand and placed his own back on the car, caging her in again. His expression was unreadable.

"Um...thanks," she muttered uncertainly.

He smiled a little at her.

"I don't wish to panic you, Sarah, but we appear to have company," he said.

He tilted his head ever-so-slightly over her shoulder and she glanced around. She added being confronted with a pack of wolves to her list of bad things to happen to her in one night. She spun wildly, facing the several pairs of gleaming eyes. Some were growling, and others merely looked inquisitive.

She took a step back, momentarily forgetting that Jareth was right behind her. Her back made contact with his warm chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, keeping her pinned to him. In that moment, she hardly minded. He was warm and comfortable, and seemed to be offering protection from the wolves.

Some members of the pack were approaching them, moving quietly around the car. The largest, whom she assumed was the alpha, walked right up to them. Jareth turned slightly so that they were both facing the wolf. It sniffed at Jareth's cloak for a moment and looked up at him, regarding him curiously. It gave a small whine and took a few steps back, its tail curling between its legs.

"Why is it doing that?" she questioned, amazed.

"He can sense my magic," he answered.

Without warning, Jareth was crouching down, taking Sarah with him. Her heart rate increased dramatically as the wolf approached again, tentative. Jareth's hand circled her wrist and pulled her arm out so that her own hand was exposed to the wolf. In the perfect position to be bitten off.

She squirmed in his grip.

"Relax, love," he whispered. "They can smell fear."

The wolf sniffed her hand several times before licking it gently, tail waggling happily, almost like a puppy. Sarah could not help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Jareth released her wrist gently and put his arm around her torso, holding her close and steadying her in her crouch at the same time. She moved her hand to the wolf's neck, rubbing the thick fur there. She scratched its ears, smiling widely. The wolf suddenly leapt away and went down on it's front legs. Sarah laughed as more came forwards, wagging their tails. They wanted to play.

"You see, precious?" Jareth whispered. "They're sociable animals. A lone wolf is a bigger threat than a pack. Although I would not recommend doing this without me."

His hold loosened and his warmth disappeared as he moved back from her. She barely noticed, though, as she tried to bat the alpha playfully. It leapt away, a grin on its face, challenging her. She laughed again, but stood up.

"I'm not going to chase you," she told it. "I'd never be able to keep up."

The wolf straightened up and tilted its head, whining softly. She felt Jareth move closer to her.

"You heard the lady," he said pleasantly. "Be on your way."

The wolf gave a bark, wagged its tail, then disappeared into the darkness with the pack.

Sarah turned back to Jareth who was looking thouroughly amused now. He crossed his arms.

"You just missed your only chance to run with wolves, Sarah," he said calmly. "Many would have killed to have been in your position."

"After everything that's happened today, I couldn't have run again if I wanted to," she muttered seriously.

"Shall we put that theory to the test, precious?" he asked.

Panic washing through her, she glanced into his eyes, but managed a small laugh when she saw the playful expression he was wearing. She shivered in the freezing air again, and Jareth merely watched her with mild interest. Neither said anything for several seconds.

"So...um, I should get going," she said. "It's a long walk home from here."

"Not so fast, Sarah," he interrupted. "I'd be willing to restore your car to its former state and with a full tank of gasoline..."

She frowned at him, sensing that there was more to the sentence.

"If?"

"If you will grant me the small pleasure of allowing me to kiss you."

Sarah's jaw dropped. He wanted _what_? Had she just heard that right? He was going to completely repair her car and fill it up for her for a _kiss_? How perverted was that? He was horrible. He knew just how much she needed her car and that she'd do almost anything to have it in full working order, and he was exploiting it for all it was worth.

_Ass, _she thought bitterly.

_Although, _said a small voice in the back of her mind. _When you think about it, he's being sort of generous. Think about all the other stuff he could be asking you to do. And at least he's asking nicely. He could just take it, you know._

Damn, her subconscious was right. There _was _a lot he could ask her to do. Or force her to do. But he was not. He was asking for a kiss. A simple kiss. She considered it as she stared at his thin lips. Gods, they looked delicous.

Wait, what? What was she thinking? She deduced that she must have bumped her head when the car crashed. There was no way that she should be thinking that the Goblin King's lips were tasty in any way! Even though they _did _look it. She shook her head of the thought.

"Alright," she spat out. "Fine. As long as you promise to fix my car and fill it up."

"Of course," he said graciously.

Yet the look of pure victory on his face as he backed her towards the car was enough to boil her anger a little. She felt the cold metal of the car press against her back.

"I'm glad you seem to be enjoying this," she said bitterly.

"I assure you, precious, I'm about to enjoy it a whole lot more," he smirked.

She could not prevent her eyes from rolling as he leaned in. His soft lips captured hers gently, and instantly, she felt her knees weaken. He pressed his body firmly against hers, keeping her up; pinned between his warmth and the car. His lips were moving, massaging her own. Sarah found herself almost unwillingly responding to the tingles he was sending through her entire body. He sucked tenderly on her bottom lip, and she could not help it when she did the same to his top.

This seemed to take him by surprise because for a moment, he stilled. Then, he brought one of his hands up and twisted in in her hair, tilting her head back. The kiss became more passionate, and instead of tingles, she felt flames coursing through her body. His tongue darted into her mouth, and she tasted something like peaches. She smiled into his mouth as his tongue danced with her own. She was not even sure when her eyes had closed.

She felt his free hand press against her back, pulling her, if possible, closer to him. Her own hands gripped his shirt tightly as fire and flame shot around her, making her face turn pink. His hand slid from her back, coming down and around to hitch her leg up so that he could press himself harder against her. As he pulled back for air, she froze.

"You said a kiss," she stated breathlessly. "Just a kiss."

"Though, if you want more..." he whispered, his voice husky.

Sarah pushed lightly against his chest. The force was not enough to even push a child away, but she hoped he would move of his own accord. He did not.

"Maybe another time," she muttered, suddenly a little afraid again, pushing harder. "I'm probably really late."

He planted a small, soft kiss just beneath her earlobe.

"I'll hold you to that, precious," he growled.

Her eyes fell closed.

When she opened them, she was sitting in her car. The engine was roaring and the headlights cast long lines of harsh light onto the road. The smashed windows were repaired, and her flashlight was even on the passenger seat. Something warm and of a midnight blue colour seemed to be draped around her shoulders.

She glanced out of the window into the trees to see a barn owl perched atop one of the branches. It looked down at her with wisftul eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered to it.

It dipped its head briefly before turning and flying off into the distance towards the moon. She smiled as she pressed her foot against the accelerator, wondering exactly when she would be able to make time for the Goblin King to come and finish what he started.

**Argh, I suck at ending stories. Anyhoo, please review my one-shot :D Reviews are my food. I might consider writing an M-Rated one-shot sequel to this but it depends on how well it's received. In the meantime, please review :)**


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